


Findings of the Ferrari Group Internal Affairs Review Board

by redpaint



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bullying, Drug Abuse, M/M, Sexual Harassment, Unconventional Format, Wall Street, Workplace Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:54:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redpaint/pseuds/redpaint
Summary: On October 3, 2021, C. Sainz, an analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department (“the complainant”) reported several incidences of bullying, harassment, and inappropriate behavior involving C. Leclerc, a fellow analyst (“the respondent”) to his department’s Human Resources representative. The representative, acting in compliance with Ferrari Group’s Employee Conduct Policy, then referred the case to the Internal Review Board (IARB). This report serves as the Board’s final findings regarding the complainant’s allegations.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Jr
Comments: 18
Kudos: 29





	Findings of the Ferrari Group Internal Affairs Review Board

**Author's Note:**

> Heed the tags! This fic contains descriptions of sexual harassment, implied victim-blaming, a threat of self-harm, and drug abuse.

  
**Report of the Findings of the Internal Affairs Review Board**

Respondent: C. Leclerc

1/21/2022

**Introduction**

On October 3, 2021, an analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department (“the complainant”) reported several incidences of bullying, harassment, and inappropriate behavior involving a fellow analyst (“the respondent”) to his department’s Human Resources representative. The representative, acting in compliance with Ferrari Group’s Employee Conduct Policy, then referred the case to the Internal Review Board (IARB). The IARB then began an investigation into the allegations and the broader allegations of an unhealthy environment within the Mergers and Acquisitions Department (MAD). The investigation included interviews with the complainant, the respondent, other MAD employees, and the Managing Director (MD), as well as in-depth reviews of emails and cell phone records provided by the complainant. This report serves as the Board’s final findings regarding the complainant’s allegations.

The respondent, C. Leclerc, is a strategist who joined the Ferrari Group in 2019. At the time of the incidents described in this report, Leclerc was the most senior member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Department. A former intern, he has consistently impressed MAD supervisors, who noted his attention to detail and eagerness to earn his place within the team. He has received two separate commendations for his exceptional work in the department, and has no previous disciplinary record.

The complainant, C. Sainz, is an analyst who joined Ferrari Group earlier in 2021. Upon joining the Mergers and Acquisitions Department, the complainant alleges that his training and everyday supervision was tasked to the respondent, in direct contradiction to the organizational chart included in his orientation materials. (Though the complainant and the respondent were hired into the same role, the respondent has accumulated additional duties and leadership responsibilities commensurate with his experience and the high quality of his work.) It was during this training period that the complainant alleges the bullying, harassment, and inappropriate behavior began. During the time in which the alleged incidents occurred, the complainant and the respondent occupied adjacent workstations and spent upwards of 80 hours together each week.

**Alleged Policy Violation: Bullying**

The complainant alleges that his de-facto manager, the respondent, engaged in a prolonged campaign of bullying and intimidation aimed at preventing the complainant’s promotion within MAD. This alleged bullying took place during the complainant’s entire tenure at Ferrari Group, though it accelerated after he received a commendation for suggesting an ultimately lucrative merger between two Balkan poultry firms.

In his written statement, the complaint says: _“I was really excited about the prospect of working in a team, especially at an institution as legendary as Ferrari Group. However, my dream was quickly soured by my experience in Mergers and Acquisitions. Despite hearing great things about Charles’s work in MAD, it quickly became clear that he didn’t trust any of his supervisees and has a habit of taking out his frustration with the department on himself and other members of the Analyst team.”_

In one instance, the complainant alleges that the respondent informed the Analyst team that they would need to stay on late to complete a presentation for a meeting the following day. The complainant had previous plans for his anniversary, and left early against the respondent’s wishes. The next day, the complainant found a pair of torn women’s underwear hanging off his monitor, unwrapped condoms on his chair, and traces of personal lubricant on his keyboard. In addition, the complainant’s name was removed from the day’s presentation.

Another alleged incident took place during a departmental trip to Singapore, during which the complainant says the respondent had become even more adversarial. Prior to the trip, text records show that the respondent told the complainant to “shut up and let me do the work” and “stop fuckign [sic] coming for my spot.” Upon arrival in Singapore, the complainant found someone had put packages of gum and explicit magazines in his carry-on luggage. At their hotel, the complainant found that his reservation had been cancelled, and that the weekend’s conference left no other rooms available. The complainant suspects that the respondent was behind both incidents, but no evidence can corroborate this accusation. Email records show that the respondent requested the complainant be removed from the trip “because he is not coping well with the stres [sic] of the job,” but the request was ignored by the MD.

The complainant also told investigators that the respondent cornered him in the stairwell, shoved him, and threatened to make complaints about him to the MD and “get you replaced with some other cheap, stupid Harvard Business grad”. This incident followed a disagreement in which the complainant expressed concerns about the respondent’s trading strategy in front of the MD. Text records from the following day show the complainant asking the respondent “Are we okay now?” to which the respondent replied “Stay on your side of the office and don’t make me look stupid again.”

**Alleged Policy Violation: Sexual Harassment**

According to Sainz, Leclerc’s behavior went beyond workplace bullying, which would fall under the Employee Conduct Policy, and into sexual harassment, which falls under Ferrari Group’s Sexual Harassment and Gender Equity Policy. In the eyes of the complainant, the respondent put them both in uncomfortable and humiliating positions involving sex and obscenity as a matter of course. The complainant claims that he doesn’t believe that Leclerc was pursuing an unrequited crush of any kind — the respondent allegedly talked in detail about his own relationship and sex life. Rather, the complainant believes that the respondent’s behavior was intended to intimidate him and “show who has the power… [and] what I was expected to endure to earn my place at Ferrari. It was about the hierarchy within the department.”

According to the complainant, the respondent often made references to the complainant’s appearance and suggested that he had only been hired because of his looks. During his first month in the office, the complainant alleges that the respondent made multiple contradictory orders regarding trades of the stock DSL, which the complainant says is a reference to “dick sucking lips.” However, it was only when the complainant sought clarification from the Strategy team about the motivation behind these trades that the respondent’s joke was made clear to the complainant. The respondent continued to use DSL as a nickname throughout the complainant’s tenure at Ferrari Group.

The respondent also allegedly sent lingerie and a strap-on dildo in Ferrari Group colors to the complainant’s girlfriend, accompanied by a note calling her “the more charming of two Spanish whores.” (Evidentiary photos are attached at the end of this report.) The respondent then allegedly asked the complainant to send him pictures of “what he had paid for.” When the complainant refused, the respondent sent him a Venmo request for the cost of the gift. In the complainant’s words: _“I was willing to handle a lot to work at Ferrari — hell, I knew what I was signing up for. But to involve my girlfriend, that was just unacceptable.”_

The harassment escalated following the Balkan poultry incident. At one dinner, ostensibly meant to celebrate the complainant’s successful deal, the respondent was allegedly accompanied by an unfamiliar woman. Following the dinner, the respondent allegedly offered the complainant a ride home, a ride during which the complainant was made to sit in the back seat while the respondent drove in circles and received oral sex from his dinner guest. The following day, the respondent allegedly tasked the complainant with taking the car to a detailer, a request the complainant refused.

**Alleged Policy Violation: Financial Mismanagement**

In addition to interpersonal complaints, Sainz alleges that Leclerc systematically violated the Travel and Reimbursement Policies in the course of his work. The complainant alleges that the respondent misused company funds both during work-related outings around the New York Metropolitan Area and during business trips to Monte Carlo, Budapest, and Singapore.

On one occasion, members of the Mergers and Acquisitions Department attended a team dinner in Manhattan hosted by the Managing Director. Following the dinner, the respondent took the Analyst team to a nearby strip club, allegedly spending over $3,000 on drinks and private dances. The following day, the respondent allegedly demonstrated to the complainant how he manipulated his receipts and applied for reimbursement from the department for work-related costs. The respondent allegedly told the complainant that “this shit happens all the time” and that “the guys upstairs build this in as a business cost.” Financial records show a $3,000 reimbursement to the respondent on the dates provided by the complainant, however the respondent maintains that the charge was part of a mix-up involving payment for the team dinner earlier in the evening.

The complainant alleges other misuses of company funds for non-work related items, including gym memberships, designer clothes, chartered boats, and nightclub reservations. Though he could not provide exact details, he claims that the respondent bragged while intoxicated about supplementing his analyst income with company funds. He claims that the respondent did so with the tacit approval from the MAD supervisors, who looked the other way on the condition that the respondent continued to bring in lucrative contracts for the department.

In response to this allegation, the respondent insists that all additional compensation was in line with his Ferrari Group contract. _“I understand that Carlos was new and wasn’t up to speed about how things work in our department, but for him to go over my head and make these kinds of accusations about me just goes against everything we believe in as a team,”_ the respondent wrote.

**Alleged Policy Violation: Inappropriate Personal Conduct**

Additionally, the complainant alleges that the respondent alleges that the respondent violated the Clean and Healthy Workplace policy by abusing controlled substances in the workplace, on company-funded trips, and during work-related social events. The complainant describes the respondent’s workstations as a “pharmacy” stocked with “whatever kinds of drugs you wanted to have, ones I did not even know of” and that the respondent often offered drugs as an incentive to work late, even after the complainant stated that he was not interested. At one point, the respondent called the complainant a “pussy” and said he should “lighten up” if he wanted to succeed in the department. The complainant alleges that the respondent’s frequent trips to the bathroom were noted by supervisors, who made joking references to the respondent’s substance abuse.

The complainant alleges that after he refused to take drugs during the workday, the respondent became paranoid that the complainant would report him to the MD. He allegedly demanded to read the complainant’s texts and emails to look for evidence of disloyalty. When the complainant refused, the respondent looked through the messages while the complainant was away from his desk. Despite the respondent's paranoia, he allegedly continued to have drugs delivered to Ferrari Group’s offices by bike courier, often ordering the complainant to receive the packages from the lobby.

The complainant also alleges that the respondent made heavy drinking and other forms of intoxication a requirement on trips abroad. During one trip to Monte Carlo, the complainant alleges that the respondent told him to “get with the program and... prove you want to be here” by drinking and consuming cocaine with a prospective client. The complainant alleges that this behavior was encouraged by Stategists and the MD. When the complainant again refused, the respondent allegedly disinvited him from a meeting with the client held the following day and rebooked his return flight to economy class.

In one particularly disturbing allegation, the complainant says that the respondent called him in the early hours of the morning, slurring his words, complaining about perceived failures during his time at Ferrari Group, and making allusions to hurting himself. The complainant eventually went to the respondent’s apartment to check in on him, only to leave when he realized that the respondent was suffering from “the mother of all comedowns.” The complainant was not able to remember the date of this event and so the allegation cannot be verified from cell phone records.

**Review of the Evidence**

It is difficult to corroborate the complainant’s claims. Multiple senior strategists claim that the pair appeared to work well together and that the complainant adapted quickly to his role within the team. One strategist, the lead team member on the trip to Singapore, cannot recall any rift between the two during the trip. In fact, he says, the respondent was generous in offering to share his hotel room with the complainant when the complainant’s room was unavailable. All charges to company accounts were signed off on by trusted managers within MAD and the respondent’s spending never raised any red flags.

In addition, the Managing Director never reported any discipline violations within the department during the complainant’s tenure at the Ferrari Group. Much the opposite, the MD says that margins steadily increased in that time, and that team morale improved significantly, compared to previous years. The MD suggested that the complainant may have felt entitled to the same responsibilities as the respondent, which could have inflamed tensions within the team and exacerbated any perceived slights. The MD also noted that young analysts are often, in their nature, competitive, and that some disagreements between them are to be expected.

The respondent acknowledges that his behavior at the time may have affected those around him, but noted that the atmosphere in the department had deteriorated in the years after his arrival at Ferrari Group and that it was affecting his own mental wellness. In fact, the respondent was eager to apologize to the complainant for the reported incidents, showing investigators texts, Facebook messages, Slack messages, and emails he had exchanged with the complainant in which he repeats his regrets and shows great self-awareness in acknowledging his own shortcomings. However, the respondent was adamant that his behavior never violated company policy, and was eager to be given another chance to prove his dedication to the MAD and to Ferrari Group as a whole.

**Conclusion**

Ferrari Group has long prided itself to being a bullying-free workplace, and takes allegations of misconduct very seriously. However, having conducted an investigation as described in the Conduct Policy, we have not been able to find incontrovertible evidence of interpersonal wrongdoing on the part of the respondent. Without outside evidence to support the complainant’s claims, the Internal Review Board cannot say with certainty that the respondent violated Ferrari Group’s Bullying and Harassment Policy. While it is likely that the respondent acted in poor judgement, the Board cannot recommend any formal discipline at this time.

In regards to the allegations of misappropriation of company funds, the Board finds substantial evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the respondent. A review of financial records has confirmed that personal expenses were inappropriately charged to company accounts, in violation of the Travel and Reimbursement Policy. In addition, lab tests have confirmed that the respondent has been in contact with illegal substances, in violation of the Clean and Healthy Workplace Policy. Because the total misappropriated funds is unknown, the Board chooses not to impose a financial penalty upon the respondent, who is urged to be more scrupulous about future filings for travel and work-related expenses. The respondent should meet with his supervisor to create an action plan related to any possible substance abuse and wellness problems related to the incidents described above.

While the complainant has since left Ferrari Group, the Board is prepared to extend an offer of company-funded counseling services for any remaining distress, under the condition that the complainant releases Ferrari Group from any future liability regarding the incidents described in the above report.

**Author's Note:**

> haha..... forza ferrari.....
> 
> listen, it's not my fault that Charles's Armani sponsorship makes him look like a Wall Streeter
> 
> redpaint on tumblr


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